...make an appointment with your American hairdresser and ask for "The Frenchie."
From WHAT MAKES THE PIE SHOP TICK?
On the First Warm Day in May...
...make an appointment with your American hairdresser and ask for "The Frenchie."
From WHAT MAKES THE PIE SHOP TICK?
Guess Who?
These three ladies share a birthday today. Who are they? (No peeking at celebrity birthday lists, either!)
We're Dreamers, Aren't We All?
After a long, long day capping a long, long week at work, we passed out during what was supposed to only be a cat nap, and just awoke from a dream in which Robert Goulet and Zsa Zsa Gabor were duetting on "If Ever I Would Leave You." There's symbolism to be found here, we're sure... we just don't know what it is. Help us, darlings!
Good Time Gal
Dorothy Provine was a flashy, glamorous, dishy blonde; just the sort of dame you'd expect Sinatra to be palling around with post-Ava, pre-Mia. That was a big romance; presumably the one with Richard Chamberlain was strictly for the fan mags. It was in the gossip columns that Dorothy made the biggest splash; aside from her role on the television series The Roaring 20's (1960-62), Provine's career never took off the way most expected it to. Her films "progressed" from low-budget fare like Riot in Juvenille Prison (1959) to supporting roles in such all-star tediums as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and The Great Race (1965). She certainly had range: a decade before Faye Dunaway, Provine played the lead in The Bonnie Parker Story (1957); she was giantess in The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959); and at least one characterization called upon her, er, minstrel skills.
Perhaps she was difficult: Provine herself alluded to a feud with studio boss Jack Warner; he dropped her after she refused to make another television series, The Perils of Pauline, insisting upon a film career or nothing. Warner opted for nothing, and Provine hit the supper club/Vegas trail, replacing Carol Channing as George Burns' nightclub act partner. That, too, ended amid rumors of acrimony. Leading roles on Broadway (Little Me) and in Hollywood (Harlow) were announced, then went nowhere. Finally, in 1968, Provine left the rat race, Sinatra, and Chamberlain (and Alan Ladd, Jr., Ray Anthony, Andy Williams and Gardner McKay) behind, marrying director Robert Day. Though that happy union lasted until her death, it began with a typical Hollywood splash: Day's wife filed for divorce once she discovered his adultery with Provine, who was already pregnant with Day's child. The divorce was expedited to become absolute in only one month, rather than three, and Day and Provine wed almost immediately thereafter. A mad, mad, mad, mad world, indeed! R.I.P., Dottie. We always hate to see a good time gal go.
DOROTHY PROVINE
January 20, 1937 - April 30, 2010
January 20, 1937 - April 30, 2010
The Lady Eve
Each time we raise an eyebrow, make a wry observation, or purse our lips in disapproval (or, ideally, all three simultaneously), we silently thank Saint Eve of Arden, for showing us how.
SAINT EVE ARDEN
April 30, 1908 - November 12, 1990
April 30, 1908 - November 12, 1990
Who's the Natural Cougher?
ALLA NAZIMOVA in Camille (1921)
GRETA GARBO in Camille (1936)
For our money, Nazimova's modernized take on Dumas' lady of the camillas outpaces the better known, more widely-viewed Garbo version. The sets and costumes (and hairstyles!) in the Nazimova picture (set in the then-present 1920's, rather than the 19th century) are extravagant, outrageous, opulent - yet sleek, stylized, and never the focal point of the action. They're the perfect glass-and-lacquer background for the star's over-the-top mannerisms and spellbinding, hypnotic presence; and provide a icily modern foil for the operatic pathos of Dumas' tragic love story. By contrast, the 1936 version fairly smothers you with lace and crinolines and velvets and period detail. And, studying the photos above and below, which star looks more like a wasted, wasting courtesan?
Birthday Roundup
A girl who cain't say no...
CELESTE HOLMApril 29, 1917
...a girl who sang as if she couldn't say no...
APRIL STEVENS
April 29, 1936
...and a guy we wouldn't say no to.
RICHARD CARLSON
April 29, 1912 - November 21, 1977
A Talent to Amuse
We hope we have one, darlings!
* This clip embodies everything we hold near and dear: brittle 1930's sophistication tarted up with 1960's wiglets and sequins. It's a culture clash of the very best kind!
If You Want the Girl Next Door...
...go next door. If you want Anouk Aimee, you're in the right place, darlings!
ANOUK AIMEE
April 27, 1932
The First Lady of Song
When Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, or Miley Cyrus can do this, let us know. We'll be watching the skies for airborne pigs. (No, not Fergie on her private jet.)
ELLA FITZGERALD
April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996
She's the Greatest Star?
Debatable, but it's undeniable that she has given us some truly magical moments. For our money, this is near the top of the list, capturing a nascent, thrilling young talent and the pathos of a legend fighting to stay afloat.
Her Name is Barbra
Her Name is Barbra
April 24, 1942
Come...
Step into Shirley's world and help her celebrate her birthday, won't you?
SHIRLEY TEMPLEApril 23, 1928
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